NOVEMBER 16, 1951

PARIS, Thursday—I have had two late afternoon receptions this week for the members of Committee 3
and I hope to have two more today and tomorrow. In this way the members of the staff
who are working with me and I will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the members
of other delegations on Committee 3 who are going to work and serve with us.

There are more women on Committee 3 than ever before, and some of the men have already
told me that they are going to feel discriminated against because of the preponderence
of females. There are even some women on the Political Committee this year.

One of our male advisers and a Polish representative, who is adviser to the Polish
delegate on Committee 3, met here with considerable amusement. The last time they had worked together had been when they acted as advisers
to their respective female delegates on the status of women on the commission.

I had quite a talk with the Polish delegate, Mrs. Domanska. She is head of the Polish
Red Cross and she told me that they do much good work in public health and sanitary
services in her country.

I had the pleasure at lunch yesterday of seeing for the first time since my arrival
professor Rene Cassin, as well as some other members of Committee 3. We discussed
in considerable detail the position that France would take in the committee and we
talked of possible suggestions she may make in connection with supplemental measures,
which might be undertaken within countries while the Human Rights Covenant is under
consideration.

Yesterday morning I met with our representatives who attended the meeting of the UNICEF
executive committee here. Much of the work of that committee nowadays is concentrated
on the long-range plans for children and, of course, the needed supplies that are
available are furnished.

The specialized agencies are being brought into consultation before projects are decided
on, and the emergency character of the organization is, in fact, disappearing to an
extent. It still exists, however, in the name.

And while the U.S. Senate is willing to make a contribution to this work, the House
of Representatives has steadily refused to do so. The other governments have stepped
up their contributions to something like six million dollars, but there is a general
feeling that our government, through our Congress, should now make some concessions.

It is difficult to explain to the governments interested in the Children's Emergency
Fund exactly why our House does not yet quite understand the position of this organization,
and I am not at all sure that by and large in the country the position of the House
is not upheld.

It seems to many people very appealing and almost essential to help children anywhere
in the world. But there are others who feel that when you face many millions of undernourished
children in the world, the problem is one of raising the standard of living for whole
populations and cannot be considered as a children's problem alone. Obviously, it
seems to be that the whole picture has to be considered together, but I still think
there is a need for emphasizing the part that children have in the whole program and
not allowing their interests to be forgotten. How this can be accomplished and what
can be done in the present situation is indeed hard to foresee.

E. R.

(WORLD COPYRIGHT, 1951, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR
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